As homosexuality has become more common, Christians have struggled with how they should respond. Some have taken to the streets in protest; others have openly embraced homosexuality, allowing gays and lesbians into the pulpit and leadership positions in the church. And, overwhelmingly, most Christians are simply trying to ignore homosexuality, hoping they can wait out the issue until it goes away because they don’t want to deal with conflict or sin.

As someone who is on the front lines and has risked it all to help—not condemn—those who are struggling with homosexuality, I must say I am very disappointed in the way Kirk Franklin handled answering a question on homosexuality in his interview on Sway Calloway’s “Sway in the Morning” satellite radio show.

It seemed as though Franklin was afraid to say what the Word of God is very clear about: that homosexuality is a sin. Instead, he took the time to elaborate on how the church is acting like the police in this cultural issue.

This is very sad to me, especially because, as a godly man, Franklin chose to bad-mouth the church rather than stand up for righteousness.

Yes, there will always be religious people who say ridiculous and un-Christlike comments about this, like those coming from those at Westboro Baptist Church, but those of us who believe marriage should be between a man and a woman and those of us who believe in the sanctity of marriage aren’t acting like the police. We are simply stating what God’s Word says while lending a hand to those who want freedom from that lifestyle—the keyword being “want.”

While some feel we are out to attack people who are struggling with homosexuality or those who have chosen that lifestyle, this is not the truth. I have compassion for those who struggle with this because I have been there. I walked that life for 14 years, so I am very much aware of all that comes with that way of life.

advertisement

When we are given a platform, such as the one Franklin has, we are to shed light on the lies the enemy is trying to feed our generation. I would call this a missed opportunity. As leaders and public figures, we need to do better at sharing the truth in love. This is not the time to hide under a rock. If we don’t take a biblical stand, sin will prevail, and it will have been because we chose to stay silent and go along with the popular crowd.

The media is doing a heck of a job educating our youth about what they think is right, molding our culture to its ways and ideals. We, the body of Christ, ought to be doing the same.

The gay community has grasped a very important concept that we have yet to fully experience in the body of Christ: unity. Don’t be too quick to shove your brothers and sisters under the bus to look cool and appear relevant in this day and age. Be brave and stand up for truth, for the truth will set us all free.

Janet Boynes is the founder of Janet Boynes Ministries, a nondenominational outreach that ministers to individuals questioning their sexuality and those who wish to leave homosexuality. As the author of Called Out, Boynes chronicles her story of living as a lesbian for 14 years until God called her out of that lifestyle.

For the month of August we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of Charisma. Join us for giveaways each weekday, pages from our past, and more. We're including an anniversary special where you can get 40 issues of Charisma for only $40!

Your Turn

Please be considerate and respectful of your fellow posters. If Jesus and your mother would not approve of your writing, you should revise your comment before submitting.

Use standard writing style and punctuation. Complete sentences and proper grammar will help others understand you.

Do not use profanity, obscenities, abusive language or otherwise objectionable content (as determined by Charisma Media moderators, in their sole discretion). Comments should not harass, abuse or threaten another's personal safety or property, make false statements, defame or impersonate someone else.

Do not question others' faith just because you disagree with them. It adds nothing to the discussion and only causes strife.

Do not question why someone comes to this website just because they disagree with you or the content of the article.

Do not post personal information including phone numbers, email or mailing addresses, or credit card information belonging to you or others.

Do not include copyrighted content or other intellectual property that you do not own or have the explicit rights or lisenses to distribute.

Do not post, directly or through links, viruses, misleading, malicious or off-topic content.

Please consider the following statements pertaining to comments posted by you and other visitors to our website:

Appearance of comments, advertisements or hyperlinks made by other commenters on this site do not necessarily indicate or constitute acceptance of or endorsement of the products, companies, corporations, ministries, organizations or agencies in whole or in part by staff members and/or the members of the editorial board of Charisma Media.

Comments are not pre-screened before they post. Charisma Media reserves the right to modify or remove any comment that does not comply with the above guidelines and to deny access of your Disqus account to make additional comments to the website without any notice. If you have been denied access to comment due to a violation of these terms please do not create multiple accounts in an attempt to circumvent the system. The correct course of action is to request a review of your account status by contacting webmaster@charismamedia.com.

Charisma Media is not responsible or liable in any way for comments posted by its users.

If you believe a comment is in violation of the above guidelines, U.S. law or International treaties, or is legitimate "trolling" please flag the post or contact webmaster@charismamedia.com. Include a link to the comment, along with a statement explaining what you believe the violation is and any evidence backing your claim. Charisma Media moderators will consider your request and decide on the most appropriate action.